Ancestral regulatory mechanisms specify conserved midbrain circuitry in arthropods and vertebrates
Jéssika Cristina Bridi, Zoe N. Ludlow, Benjamin Kottler, Beate Hartmann, Lies Vanden Broeck, Jonah Dearlove, Markus Göker, Nicholas J. Strausfeld, Patrick Callaerts, Frank Hirth
Abstract
Significance Comparative developmental genetics indicate insect and mammalian forebrains form and function in comparable ways. However, these data are open to opposing interpretations that advocate either a single origin of the brain and its adaptive modification during animal evolution; or multiple, independent origins of the many different brains present in extant Bilateria. Here, we describe conserved regulatory elements that mediate the spatiotemporal expression of developmental control genes directing the formation and function of midbrain circuits in flies, mice, and humans. These circuits develop from corresponding midbrain-hindbrain boundary regions and regulate comparable behaviors for balance and motor control. Our findings suggest that conserved regulatory mechanisms specify cephalic circuits for sensory integration and coordinated behavior common to all animals that possess a brain.